I am an experienced headteacher and have been head of a local primary school for 14 years. I have 30 years experience working in primary education which included three years as an ICT advisory teacher for Staffordshire. I am currently the Newcastle headteachers’ representative on the Staffordshire Primary Heads Forum and the primary schools representative on the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Education Advisory Committee.

Deborah Armstrong

I have a son at the school, Harry in year 3, and my daughter Isobel, who left in July 2017, was Head Girl. I believe that I have both the professionalism and dedication required to become an active, supportive member of the governing body, and bring experience from over 20 years of working in educational settings. I have worked in key stages 1, 3 and 4 along with Early Years Foundation Stage and have been through numerous Ofsted inspections as a Teaching Assistant, Learning Mentor, Learning Support Unit manager and Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator. Presently I am a Learning Support Practitioner in Key Stage 1. I also spent many years as Governor at a Junior School in Stoke, taking the role of vice chair and SEN link governor, again taking part in Ofsted inspections along with the other Governors. I have always been committed to ensuring that education and welfare of the students is paramount, and I feel that I can represent the parents well.

I am a retired Executive Head Teacher and Consultant Leader for the National College of School Leaders. I have supported schools throughout the country to help them improve their management and leadership skills. As a Consultant Leader I worked alongside many other professional people, giving talks and presentations at a variety of conferences. I am a former resident of Harriseahead and began my working life at Thursfield in 1965. Four generations of my husband's family attended this school. Therefore it is very close to my heart and I am very pleased to be a part of its future.

Elizabeth Bradbury

I am thrilled to be the Headteacher at Thursfield Primary School and am now in my 2nd year of headship. It is a real privilege to work in such a special school with a fantastic staff team. I am committed to ensuring that our school can provide the very best opportunities for all of our children. I particularly value our vision and ethos and strive to provide all the pupils in our care with the skills, knowledge and understanding to dare and achieve their dreams.

I have been teaching in Staffordshire for over 15 years, previously working as a class teacher and deputy head. In 2015, I was delighted to become a specialist leader of education, and for the past 2 years I have been a facilitator of the Outstanding Teaching Assistant Programme. Both these positions allow me to empower fellow colleagues with the confidence to share ideas and strategies to help move their school's forward.

Mr Robert (Bob) Owen MBE

I am a Chartered Engineer and until retirement was a General Manager in Siemens responsible for a number of Large Project Engineering Businesses mainly operating in the international marketplace. A former Vice-Chair of UMIST and a Board Member of The University of Manchester I have enjoyed being part of the Team that has helped Thursfield regain its performance.

Tracy Price

I have been a Head of a North Staffordshire middle school for 5 years. I have been on a number of Governing Bodies including an IEB. I have supported schools in Staffordshire and the West Midlands in a variety of ways including offering school to school support in areas such as reading, transition to year 5, effective action planning, tracking and data analysis, improving teaching to good and developing effective leadership.

Since 2013 I have worked alongside Senior HMI’s to improve reading and literacy across the curriculum. As part of this work I presented at conferences across the West Midlands, Telford and Shropshire and have also worked in a number of schools.

Louise Rhead

I consider myself very fortunate to have been teaching at Thursfield for a number of years, completing my 30th year in July 2019. Throughout my time, I have fulfilled a number of roles, in a range of year groups and I am presently Assistant Head and KS1 Coordinator. I believe that Thursfield is at the heart of the local community. It plays a vital role in helping children achieve their potential through education and ensuring youngsters have the best opportunities to succeed whilst growing into responsible and caring individuals.